Social Security Requirements for Employee Name Changes

by Gregg Kennerly | Published Thursday, September 1, 2016

With the summer wedding season now over, it is critical for employers to ensure that each employee’s name and Social Security Number (SSN)–as shown on his or her Social Security card–matches the employer’s payroll records and year-end Forms W-2.Employers
If an employee legally changes his or her name because of marriage, employers should continue to use the old name and tell the employee to contact Social Security to obtain an updated card. Employers should change their payroll records only after the employee obtains an updated Social Security card with the new name. Using a new name before the employee updates Social Security’s records may prevent the posting of earnings to the employee’s Social Security earnings history.

Employees
Employees must take the following three steps in order to obtain a corrected Social Security card:

Show the required documents, including proof of identity. See Learn What Documents You Need for more information. (Under the heading “Type of Card,” select “Corrected” for a list of the documents needed);

There is no charge for a Social Security card–this service is free. For complete instructions, please click here.

Our section on Social Security includes helpful information regarding Social Security benefits.

In his career, Gregg has developed specialized expertise in “consumer-driven” and high deductible health plans with HSA and HRA strategies, and sold the first HSA plans issued in Virginia through Assurant Health. He is an expert in analyzing plan design data and has served as account executive for national accounts such as Coca-Cola Enterprises and Tenet HealthCare. Gregg utilizes a strategic approach to establish goals based on each client’s unique culture and competitive environment, and measuring results against jointly established criteria.
Gregg Kennerly is a Principal at Advanced Benefit Strategies of Virginia, LLC.

Contact Info

Advanced Benefit Strategies of Virginia, LLC

Gregg Kennerly, Principal

Andrea Eggleston, Principal

Karen Bolstad, Senior Operations Director

Carol Watson, Senior Account Executive

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We found the services of Advanced Benefit Strategies to be very helpful in making the hard decisions concerning maintaining employee coverage. Their knowledge of the field and their genuine concern for the best possible plan was a great help in creating a plan that would fit the needs of our staff of forty-five. The total plan continues to benefit our employees and the overall savings helps keep the costs affordable. Both Greg and Andrea are always there when questions arise and provide great support all year long. I highly recommend their services for your employee benefit needs.

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